Experience Level: Advanced Beginner

A nod to traditional woven plaids, the Amethyst Blanket is a cozy oversized plaid blanket, perfect for the ski lodge, dorm room, or family room. This blanket uses four solid colors; holding the yarn doubled and switching colors where indicated creates the plaid effect. While mohair is recommended for this design because it creates a watercolor-like halo where the colors shift, heavy worsted wool and other blends can also be used successfully while producing a totally different look. For a one-of-a-kind look, play with colors! Using two colors will create a gingham plaid. Using 9 colors, in which one row and one column are dedicated to a specific color, creates a stunning spectral plaid.

Construction Details
Nine strips are made holding the yarn double-strand. To create the blocks of color on each strip, one strand of yarn gets replaced at regular intervals. Once the strips are complete, they are sewn together to create the blanket. To omit seams, adventurous knitters may decide to work the entire blanket in one piece, using intarsia and a circular needle.

Techniques necessary

• Cast-on and bind off
• Knit
• Purl
• Row counting
• Mattress stitch seaming

Selecting Colors
When selecting colors to use, I recommend that you select light, medium, and dark colors for a more dramatic plaid. My preference is that colors B and D are both the same color value (in this sample they are the darkest colors) and A and C represent the other two color values: medium and light

Finished size: 60 x 60

Yarn: Classic Elite La Gran Mohair (worsted weight 78.4% mohair, 17.3% wool, 4.3% nylon, 106 yards/50 grams) Color A - 10 skeins (1060 yards), Color B 5 skeins (530 yards), Color C 7 skeins (742 yarns), Color D 5 skeins (530 yards)

Colors used in sample:
A - Natural #6516
B - Lavender Fields #6556
C - Pebble #6575
D - Faded Slate #6546

Gauge: 9 stitches and 14 rows = 4” in Waffle Pattern Stitch holding yarn DOUBLED

Needles: US 13 (9mm) knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge

Additional Materials: Tape measure, tapestry needle, row counter